Express_2011_01_21

"Enough is enough:" Resignations cloud BIA's future

preparing to merge.

was to destroy and not build. We will have

richard.mahoney@eap.on.ca

He stressed that the BIA did not cost

to rebuild,” adds the mayor.

H AWKESBURY

taxpayers anything because its money comes

The future of the BIA, which was founded

from business people.

in 1985, was debated briefly at Monday’s

Last year, the commission collected

council meeting. The only remaining board

The fate of the Downtown Business

$98,150 in taxes on 172 properties in the

member, Councillor Michel Thibodeau will

Improvement Area (BIA) Commission is

downtown area.

be joined by Councillors Johanne Portelance

up in the air following the resignation of

Members on Main Street pay $575 in dues

and Marc Tourangeau on the board. The

the commission’s board of directors.

while members in other parts of the zone

plan is to call a meeting of BIA members to

<“We have given it back to the town.

pay $250.

elect four more board members.

The council will now decide what to do

The merchants are getting a good deal,

The councillors who voted to cut funding

with it,” says Denis Charlebois, who had

Charlebois contends.

to the Society did not fully comprehend the

been president of the organization for

However, not all members share that

repercussions of the decision, say Charlebois

several years.

view. In November, a petition calling for the

The BIA board quit following town

and Chamber of Commerce President Mario

abolition of the organization was presented

council’s December 20 decision to halt

Briggs.

to council.

funding for the Société de development

Thibodeau was backed by Councillors

“The vast majority of the people who pay

commercial et touristique de Hawkesbury.

André Chamaillard, Portelance and

taxes to the BIA no longer want it,” says

When the town eliminated its $120,000

Tourangeau when he presented his motion

Roger Charest. He and Marielle Charlebois

annual grant, the Society’s board of

to end financial support for the SDCTH,

presented a petition signed by 29 people

directors, also presided by Charlebois, also

which received $835,156 from the town since

who own 106 properties in the BIA zone.

quit and closed its office at La Maison de

2004 and was paid $120,000 last year. The

Council took no action because its

l’île.

mayor and Councillors Michel Beaulne and

mandate was coming to a close and the

The money had been used to pay the

Alain Fraser opposed the resolution.

petition had not been properly presented.

salaries of two employees who worked for

Thibodeau said the funding was no longer

Meanwhile, the chamber of commerce is

the Society, the BIA and the Chamber of

necessary because the town had its own

doing well, said Briggs. “The chamber is

Commerce.

economic development director. Portelance

very strong,” he said, adding that

“It was a devastating impact,” says

and Tourangeau contended that taxpayers

membership has increased from about 80 to

Mayor René Berthiaume, one of three

were tired of supporting an organization

100 members.

members of council who opposed the

that they said generated few benefits for the

decision to cancel the grant. “The result

municipality.

Denis Charlebois

St-Isidore arena on ice

“There was a big lack of information,”

said Briggs.

newsroom@eap.on.ca

“It was decided in advance to destroy the

S T -I SIDORE

society,” Charlebois related.

He said that prior to the December 20

The St-Isidore arena has been closed as

decision, the society had one chance to meet

the facility undergoes repairs to correct

council, when he presented a long-term

some structural defects.

action plan. “We were not consulted. The

“We are not taking any chances with the

four members who voted for this did not

safety of the public,” The Nation Mayor

really know what the repercussions would

François St-Amour says. Several damaged

be,” said Charlebois.

beams were discovered during an inspection.

“Enough is enough. We did not have the

Studio Casa Bella est fier d’accueillir Manon Ouelette

In preparation for the installation of solar

support of council. The people who have

panels on the arena roof, The Nation

been working as volunteers for all those

undertook an inspection of the structure,

comme styliste.

years are no longer interested,” said

which must be done every five years. The

Charlebois, who has been an active member

Manon a 15 ans d’expérience et se fera un plaisir de vous servir.

municipality was advised by an engineering

of the BIA since it was formed.

firm to close the building to the public to

Charlebois, Marcel Laviolette and Marc

ensure nobody would be injured.

Boucher quit in late December; Bernadette

Studio Casa Bella is proud to welcome Manon Ouelette

The damaged beams are being reinforced

Blais had stepped down in October.

with steel. St-Amour believes that the work

“The town will decide the future of the

could cost $100,000. Built in 1961, the arena

BIA now. I hope that more people will come

as a stylist.

has been undergoing a $1.9 million overhaul

forward to keep it going. It would be a big

Manon has 15 years of exprerience and will be happy to serve you.

which includes the construction of two

loss for the community. The three

1-2475, rue Laurier, Rockland, On 613 446-8880

wings. This project has been financed by the

organizations worked together. We had a

municipality and the federal and provincial

super good formula,” said Charlebois. The

governments.

Chamber, the BIA and the society had been

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